‘If we can't sleep, you won't sleep’: New Yorkers hold noisy protest against illegal fireworks outside Mayor de Blasio's home

New Yorkers assembled outside Bill de Blasio's home to express their anger over the city's unwillingness to crack down on an epidemic of illegal fireworks usage. The demonstrators tried to disrupt the mayor's sleep as payback.

A huge line of cars honked their horns near the mayor's residence, Gracie Mansion, on Monday night as part of the organized demonstration. Videos on social media show the street near de Blasio's house flooded with automobiles and frustrated residents. Many of the demonstrators were from New York's Orthodox Jewish community. Councilman Chaim Deutsch, who attended the rally, said he wanted to send a clear message to the mayor.

“If we can't sleep, Mr. Mayor, you won't sleep,” the councilman vowed in a video posted on Twitter.

In one clip, a protester can be heard shouting over the honks and revving engines: “Bill de Blasio, this is now we sleep every night. Can you sleep through this?”

New York City has recently seen a 4,000 percent spike in fireworks-related incidents – most of them occurring at night as residents attempt to get some shuteye. According to the New York Post, the city registered 849 fireworks grievances in the first half of June, compared to a mere 21 incidents during the same period last year. The NYPD, which has come under scrutiny for its handling of BLM protests and now faces budget cuts, has been reluctant in most cases to intervene.

The surge in illegal fireworks being shot across the city is just the start of de Blasio's troubles. Shootings in New York City have increased by a shocking 358 percent over the last seven days compared with the same time last year. The mayor has promised to introduce community-led measures to reduce crime, but the city's police commissioner has already warned that violence and unrest in the Big Apple is likely to get worse.

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